NewtonSERVES volunteers brave raw weather to improve public spaces

Residents across Newton gathered in teams, once again on the first Sunday in May, to participate in NewtonSERVES, a City-sponsored annual day of community service. This year, the weather was a bit raw for May. Despite a cool, gray morning, volunteers turned out –some in winter hats and heavy jackets. Adults, teens, and children participated in 27 projects throughout the city, helping to clean parks and open spaces, spread mulch, plant flowers, remove litter, remove invasive plants, and complete improvement projects benefiting schools, conservation areas, and neighborhoods.

The City’s Parks & Recreation Department coordinates the NewtonSERVES program and invites residents to sign up for projects located on City-owned properties, including parks, fields, school grounds, and public squares. The event relies on volunteer project leaders to organize teams, coordinate the supply of materials and tools by the City, communicate with volunteers, and oversee work at their designated sites.

This year’s 27 projects made improvements on school grounds, in green spaces, and in public squares.

• Schools
  • Angier Elementary Garden Clean-up
  • Bowen Elementary 5th Grade Service Project
  • Brown Middle School Cleanup
  • Burr Elementary School Garden and Grounds
  • Mason Rice School Project
  • Memorial Spaulding Spring Clean-up
  • Newton South HS Beautification & Clean Up
  • Oak Hill Spring Clean-Up
  • Peirce Elementary School Clean-Up
  • Underwood Garden Cleanup
  • Ward School Community Day
• Green Spaces
  • Bullough’s Pond Clean-up
  • Chaffin Park Clean Up
  • East Parish Burying Ground Clean-up
  • Farlow Park Clean-up
  • Martin Poetry Path Cleanup
  • Wellington Park Wake Up
• Invasives Clean-ups
  • Cold Spring Park
  • Dolan Pond
  • Nahanton Park
  • Houghton Garden
• Public Squares
  • Upper Falls Greenway Clean-up
  • Waban Common Mulching Project
  • Waban Reservation – Newton Corner
  • Waban Square Clean-Up
  • Washington Park Spring Clean-up
  • WellanServes

The NewtonSERVES program brings together residents and projects in nearly every village every year. The photos below represent only half of this year’s projects.

Schools

Green Spaces

Public Squares